Getting "creative" with the facts...
Memoir vs autobiographical fiction plus TONS of writing links and resources!
*For writing news and resources, scroll down*
I’m getting personal…
Today I shared with my paid subscribers a Thanksgiving-vibes story called “Hard to Get,” and this is my most personal short story. It’s still heavily fictionalized, but the family in the story is inspired by my family. The anecdote the grandfather tells is loosely inspired by something my grandfather told me one Thanksgiving after several glasses of wine. And yes, when I was in my late twenties, I did almost move across the ocean for love before it all went to hell in a most depressingly horrible way.
Sometimes we write what we know, and sometimes we write what we feel. I wrote “Hard to Get” about a year after what I thought was going to be my happily-ever-after crashed and burned, and I think it was a way for me to process what had happened and try to make peace with it. I fictionalized it in part to distance myself from the actual events, but mostly to make it sexier, more dramatic/climactic, and (hopefully) to make it a better story for readers.
What are “facts” these days anyway?
I sometimes get asked about memoir versus autobiographical fiction versus stories that are “inspired by” real events. In my opinion, these all lie on a spectrum of how closely they stick to the facts.
MEMOIR: Basically true.
Memoir is a form of creative nonfiction, which uses narrative and novel-writing tools to tell a true story. The author sticks to what actually happened but may take creative liberties, for example with description and dialogue. (After all, who remembers exactly what was said years later?)
The events are colored by the author’s recollection, and we all know how accurate memory is (not very).
Events may not be told in order, and some events (or people) might be left out completely.
The author is trying their best to stick to the facts, but they are shaping real events into something that reads like a novel.
Educated by Tara Westover and Pathological by Sarah Fay are memoirs
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL and SEMI-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FICTION: Somewhat true, give or take.
The author is using their actual life events as the scaffolding for a story but fictionalizing (sometimes liberally) in order to tell a good story. They may add or delete characters and events, enhance the tension/conflict/suspense, or rearrange events in a more dramatic way.
Some autobiographical fiction sticks more closely to what actually happened, and some (semi-autobiographical) strays pretty far from it, but overall the events in the novel are similar to what the author experienced.
The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath is autobiographical fiction that sticks pretty close to the actual events (correct me if I’m wrong!). On the Road by Jack Kerouac is another example of autobiographical fiction.
“INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS” FICTION: There’s at least a kernel or two of truth.
The author is using real events as the jumping off point for the story but not feeling the need to stick closely to what actually happened.
Some of the story is recognizable as true (how much can vary widely), but overall this is a made-up story.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld is novel that was certainly inspired by her own experiences at prep school (though she’s quick to say it’s highly fictionalized). And Lisa O’Donnell has said that her novel Closed Doors was inspired by a memorable event from her childhood.
My story “Hard to Get” is somewhere on this truth spectrum, maybe between semi-autobiographical and “inspired by.”
This is a tricky topic, and I’m sure not everyone will agree with my definitions, so if you have thoughts about memoir and autobiographical fiction, please let me know!
Are YOU writing a book inspired by your life? Check out my article: The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Autobiographical Fiction.
Hoping to write more in the new year?
If you’re looking for a great writing conference this winter, check out the Murphy Writing Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway, which will be January 13-16 at the historic Seaview Hotel near Atlantic City, NJ. The Getaway focuses on generating new work—you’ll write a new poem or more each day—and it brings together people from all walks of life. You’ll find new writers alongside people who’ve published multiple books, retirees alongside college students and MFA candidates.
Workshops on poetry, fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, and even songwriting. You can check out the whole list of poetry and prose workshops online.
Scholarships are available! The Toni Brown Memorial Scholarship is for writers ages 31+, and the Robert Hayden Scholarship is for writers ages 18-30, with at least two Robert Hayden scholarships designated for young writers of color. The scholarship application deadline is TOMORROW, November 15. (Sorry for the late notice!)
Early-bird registration for the conference goes until November 20.
Writing News & Resources
For All Writers:
The Good Story Company is offering a free webinar on November 17 about how to write a great ending. Register to watch live and receive the replay.
Looking for a writing mentor? The Authors of Tomorrow #CoachHunt is coming up on November 19. Writers pitch their story ideas on Twitter or Google Forms to a panel of coaches, who reach out to writers if they are interested in their story and want to mentor them.
Speaking of endings, I recently watched the popular video lecture Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great from screenwriter Michael Arndt (he wrote award-winning Little Miss Sunshine.) Though it’s geared towards screenwriters, it has a lot of lessons in what makes good storytelling.
I found out about this video from this Manuscript Academy Podcast interview (great episode, especially if you’re interested in learning about writing Intellectual Property projects. In the episode Gigi Griffis (author of The Empress, as seen on Netflix) says she watches this video twice a year to help with her writing and plotting.
For the entire month of November, Souped-Up Suspense Lesson 3: Setting the Mood will be available to anyone and everyone. (In December it will go back to being for paid subscribers only.) This lesson, in audio and written format, is all about using setting, word choice, and description to enhance the suspense and/or spookiness of your story.
(If you have trouble accessing for any reason, go to my Courses page and click on Lesson 3 from there.)
The Hunger is open for submissions! They want your weird and wild poetry, prose, and hybrid work Nov. 1 through April 1. They also accept submissions without fees in December!
Fractured Lit pays authors $50 for original Micro-Fiction and $75 for original Flash-Fiction. Both categories are open year-round with NO submission fees! Submit now!
Stick with NaNoWriMo (or start a regular writing routine) by joining Jana Van der Veer on Zoom every M-F from 8-9am Eastern for a writing sprint. (Cameras off so feel free to come in pjs). Writing group energy with no distractions.
New Pages is a great place to research literary magazines and find submission opportunities and writing contests. They also have a newsletter so you can stay updated via your inbox.
Check out the NYC Midnight 250-word Microfiction Challenge. Based on a randomly assigned prompt, write a super short story in 24 hours. There are multiple rounds, and everyone gets feedback from the judges. You’ll be amazed what you can produce when the pressure’s on and you’ve paid to compete. The challenge starts November 18.
Be a Bestseller 4.0, the free online interview series for writers from Emma Dhesi is happening in January 2023. More info coming soon!
For KidLit Writers:
On November 17, Agent Adria Goetz is offering a $25 webinar on Writing Funny Picture Books. Plenty of time for live Q&A at the end.
On December 1, The Good Story Company is offering a free Picture Book Pitch Battle webinar. Receive live PB evaluations and learn how to stand out from the crowd. Register to watch live or receive the replay.
The Ultimate Craft & Business of Writing, Illustrating, & Publishing Children’s Picture Books is an excellent, interactive online course from the Children’s Book Academy that will run from Jan 9 - Feb 13, 2023.
Scholarship deadline Nov 21 (scholarships for low-income, diversity, librarian, and more)
Early-bird pricing available until Nov. 30
From now until to December 31, WriteOnCon’s Critique Boutique gives you chance to buy critiques on your manuscript pages or submission materials from industry professionals, including agents, editors, and traditionally published authors. You do not need to have attended WriteOnCon to buy a critique, and the prices are very reasonable (starting at only $29). Open to all genres of kidlit, from PB to YA.
You can’t be a writer without being a reader. Sign up with Multicultural Children’s Book Day to be a Diverse KidLit Reviewer and receive a free children’s or YA book. You don’t have to be a blogger as long as you’re willing to share your review on a site like Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Sign up ends Dec. 31.
For Querying Writers:
On December 8, The Good Story Company is offering a FREE Writing an Irresistible Query webinar with live query editing and feedback. Register to watch live or receive the replay.
Check out this excellent Twitter thread from agent Cathie-Hendrick Armstrong about what makes her pass on a query, and what every good query should include.
Every Friday, Operation Awesome offers one free query critique through their #QueryFriday contest.
If you have the bandwidth for it, check out this insanely comprehensive spreadsheet of successful queries. Learn the details and read the actual query letters for books that got agent representation.
Looking for feedback on your submission package? You can nominate your query or first page for a critique on Nathan Bransford’s blog. Also helpful? Reading his past critiques.
Curious about traditional indie publishers that accept unagented submissions? Check out this thread on Twitter. And here are a few of my suggestions:
Polis Publishing (they published Mexican Gothic!!)
North Star Editions (check out their kidlit imprints Flux and Jellyfish)
Page Street Publishing (is distributed by MacMillion)
Holiday House (books for young readers)
Persea Books (adult literary books)
Quirk Books (they publish quirky books, obviously; they published the Miss Peregrine’s books and Pride & Zombies!)
Levine Querido (they focus on publishing authors from underrepresented backgrounds)
Writing Conferences
The Murphy Writing Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway will be January 13-16 at the historic Seaview Hotel near Atlantic City, NJ. Early-bird registration available until November 20!
Registration is now open for the enormous AWP Conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs). A great conference for literary and academic writers, it’s being held in March 8-11, 2023 in Seattle.
The Washington Writers Conference will be held in Bethesda, MD May 12-13.
Super Early Bird tickets ($359) include FOUR agent-pitch sessions and are available through Dec. 31, 2022.
Early Bird tickets ($369) include three agent-pitch sessions and are available Jan. 1, 2023, through Mar. 31, 2023.
For more writing conferences, check out this list or this list of 19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers.